House prepares for debate honoring intelligence agents for bin Laden killing

The House on Friday will hold a 30-minute debate and a vote on an amendment that may be the only honorific the House bestows on U.S. officials involved in the finding and killing of Osama bin Laden.

Members are scheduled to debate a short amendment to the FY 2011 Intelligence Authorization Act that honors the men and women of the intelligence community for their effort in "bringing Osama bin Laden to justice." The amendment, offered by Reps. Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.) and Tom Reed (R-N.Y.), is being given 30 minutes while other amendments considered on Thursday received just 10 minutes.

Last week, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) indicated that the House may not take up a separate resolution congratulating the Navy SEALs and President Obama for the successful mission to kill bin Laden, while the Senate has passed a similar resolution. 

The Grimm/Reed amendment only congratulates the intelligence community.

The amendment is the last to be debated on the bill, as several others were debated Thursday afternoon. Votes on all amendments and the bill itself, H.R. 754, are expected by late Friday morning.

The full text of the Grimm/Reed amendment:

Congress—

(1) commends the men and women of the intelligence community for the tremendous commitment, perseverance, professionalism, and sacrifice they displayed in bringing Osama bin Laden to justice;

(2) commends the men and women of the intelligence community for committing themselves to defeating, disrupting, and dismantling al Qaeda; and

(3) reaffirms its commitment to using the capabilities and skills of the intelligence community to—

(A) disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al Qaeda and affiliated organizations around the world that threaten the national security of the United States;

(B) eliminate safe havens for terrorists in Afghanistan and Pakistan; and

(C) bring terrorists to justice.